# Is "The Russia House" by John le Carré a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Russia House by John le Carré (Hodder & Stoughton, 1989) is identified by: Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989. The census claim stands, but narrowly, and the margin should be stated rather than glossed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989
- Identified by "First published in Great Britain 1989 by Hodder and Stoughton" on the copyright page with no subsequent-impression notice — Hodder consistently stated "First published in (year)" on firsts from 1976 and noted later impressions
- Do NOT expect a number line: Hodder only began using number lines around the mid-1990s, so its absence on this printing is correct and is not evidence against the first
- Publisher's grey to beige-grey cloth lettered in blue on the spine, 344 pp; dealers report tan or peach endpapers
- Priced jacket, unclipped, with the price present at the front flap
- Separate issue to keep distinct from the trade first: a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies was also published, bound with a green cloth spine and blue marbled paper boards with gilt, and issued in a glassine wrapper rather than a dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Hodder & Stoughton

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John le Carré |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989. Identified by "First published in Great Britain 1989 by Hodder and Stoughton" on the copyright page with no subsequent-impression notice — Hodder consistently stated "First published in (year)" on firsts from 1976 and noted later impressions. Do NOT expect a number line: Hodder only began using number lines around the mid-1990s, so its absence on this printing is correct and is not evidence against the first. Publisher's grey to beige-grey cloth lettered in blue on the spine, 344 pp; dealers report tan or peach endpapers. Priced jacket, unclipped, with the price present at the front flap. Separate issue to keep distinct from the trade first: a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies was also published, bound with a green cloth spine and blue marbled paper boards with gilt, and issued in a glassine wrapper rather than a dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim stands, but narrowly, and the margin should be stated rather than glossed. Hodder's UK publication is given as 1 June 1989 and Knopf's US publication date as 9 June 1989 (Kirkus) — about a week apart. An early search signal suggesting Knopf published in May 1989 proved to be a conflation with the Kirkus pre-publication review issue of 15 May 1989 and does not reverse precedence. UK precedence is independently corroborated by ABAA dealer cataloguing, which consistently designates the Knopf as the "first American edition." The first American edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1989; [xii], 353, [3] pp) is separately and actively collected; both editions are collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club printing was documented for this title in the sources consulted, so no title-specific tells are given. Apply the generic tells: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small colored dot to the rear board, lighter bulk and cheaper paper, and no first-edition statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Russia House* by John le Carré a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-russia-house
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.